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MESSAGE  OF  THE  PRESIDENT. 


m 
Richmond,  Va.,  March  25,  1863. 

To  the   House   of   Jl/>prescntatives  : 

I  herewith  transmit  a  communication  from  the  Secretary  of  War, 
in  response  to  your  resolution  of  the  21st  ult.,  enquiring  whether 
official  notice  has  been  given  to  the  proper  officers  of  the  provisions 
of  '*  an  act  to  protect  the  rights  of  owners  of  slaves  taken  by  or  em- 
ployed in  the  army." 

JEFFERSON  DAVIS. 


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http://www.archive.org/details/communicationfro26conf 


COMMUNICATION  FROM  THE  SECRETARY  OF  WAR. 


Confederate  States  of  America,  ^ 

War  Department,      > 

Richmond,  Va.,  March  25,  1863.  ) 

His  Excellency,  The  President  : 

Sir  :  In  response  to  a  resolution  of  the  House  of  Representatives, 
adopted  on  the  21st  ult.,  1  have  the  honor  to  enclose  a  copy  of  the 
orders  published  by  this  department  in  pursuance  of  the  act  of  Con- 
gress "  to  protect  the  rights  of  owners  of  slaves  taken  by  or  employed 
in  the  army."  , 

Very  respectfully, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

JAMES  A.  SEDDON, 

Secretary  of  War. 


Adjl'tant  and  Inspkctor  Gkneral's  Office, 
Richmond  March  6,  1SG3. 

GENERAL  ORDERS,  ) 

No.  25.  J 

I.  The  follovring  Act  of  Congress  and  Regulations  to  enforce  the 
eame,  are  published  for  the  information  of  all  persons  concerned: 

Chat  lxii. — uin  act  to  protect  the  Bights  of  Oivncrs  of  Slaves  taken  by  or 
employed  in  the  army. 

The  Congress  of  the  Confederate  States  of  Ainerica  do  enact,  That 
every  person  connected  with  the  army  or  navy  of  the  Confederate 
States,  arresting  or  coming  into  possession  of  any  slave,  by  capture 
from  the  enemy,  or  otherwise  than  by  lawful  authority,  shall  imme- 
diately report  the  same  to  the  commanding  officer  of  the  post  or 
brigade  or  station^to  which  he  may  be  attached.  The  said  command- 
ing officer  shall,  with  as  little  delay  as  practicable,  send  the  slaves  so 
reported  to  the  nearest  depot  described  in  the  next  section,  with  a 
regist(?r  of  the  place  and  date  of  their  arrest:  Provided,  however,  That 
the  said  slaves,  or  any  of  them,  may  at  once  be  delivered  to  their 
res})ective  owners,  if  claim  is  made  and  established  on  satisfactory 
evidence. 

Sec,  2.  The  Secretary  of  War  shall  establish  depots  for  recaptured 
slaves,  at  convenient  places,  not  more  than  five  in  number,  in  each 
State ;  and  all  slaves  captured  in  such  State  shall  be  kept  in  such 
.depots.     Public  notice  shall  be  given  of  the  places  so  selected. 

Sec.  3.  Lists  of  the  slaves  in  each  of  such  depots,  showing  the  name 
and  color  of  such  slaves,  the  place  and  time  of  iheir  arrest,  and  the 
names  of  their  owners,  as  given  by  themselves,  or  otherwise  ascer- 
tained, shall  be  regularly  advertised  in  each  State,  in  one  or  moro 
newspapers  of  general  circulation. 

Sf.c.  4.  While  such  slaves  are  in  depot,  they  may,  be  employed, 
uiider  proper  guard,  on  public  works;  but  no  slave  shall  be  removed 
from  the  depot  to  which  he  is  first  carried,  for  at  least  one  month  after 
the  first  advertisement  of  his  being  there,  nor  then,  unless  an  exact 
legister  is  made,  of  the  removal,  and  due  advertisement  made  in  the 
newspapers  as  aforesaid. 

Sec  5.  Free  access  shall*  be  permitted  to  all  persons  desiring  to 
inspect  the  said  slaves  for  the  purpose  of  identifying  them  and  es- 
tablishing ownership;  and  upon  due  proof,  they  shall  be  immediately 
restored  to  the  persons  claiming  them. 


Sec.  6.  It  shall  further  be  the  duty  of  the  Secretary  of  War  to  re- 
quire the  names  of  all  slaves  in  the  employment  of  an  officer  or  sol- 
dier of  the  Confederate  army  or  navy,  with  the  names  and  residence 
of  their  owners,  and  of  the  person  by  whom  hired  out,  and  of  the 
officer  or  soldier  hiring,  to  be  reported  to  his  department,  and  a  full 
register  thereof  to  be  kept  for  public  inspection. 

Sec.  7.  The  President  shall  prescribe  regulations  for  carrying  this 
act  into  effect,  and  provide  for  the  subsistence  of  said  slaves  while  in 
such  depots,     [Aproved  October  13,  1862.] 

II.  Depots  for  recaptured  slaves  are  hereby  established  at  the  fol- 
lowing places,  viz : 

At  the  Camp  of  Instruction  at  Richmond,  in  the  State  of  Virginia. 

Petersburg,  '"  " 

Dublin  Station,  " 

Raleigh,  *'  N.  Carolina. 

Columbia,  "  S.  Carolina. 

Macon,  "  Georgia. 

Decatur,  ''  " 

Notasulga,  "  Alabama. 

Talladega,  "  " 

Tallahassee,  "  Florida. 

Brookhaven,  "  Mississippi. 

Enterprize,  "  " 

Monroe,  "  Louisiana. 

Camp  Moore,  "  " 

New  Iberia,  "  "■ 

Houston,  **  Texas, 

Knoxville,  "  Tennessee. 

McMinnsville,  "  " 

Little  Rock,  *'  Arkansas. 

III.  The  commandants  of  the  several  camps  of  instruction  will 
provide  necessary  quarters  for  all  negroes  sent  to  the  depots ;  will 
detail  sufficient  guards  for  their  safe-keeping;  provide  for  their  cus- 
tody, craployment*and  subsistence;  require  full  and  accurate  registers 
to  be  kept,  and  advertisements,  as  prescribed  by  the  act  of  Congress, 
to  be  regularly  made,  and  afford  all  fiicilities  to  claimants  to  establish 
their  ownership,  and  on  due  proof,  surrender  the  slaves  to  their 
owners'. 

IV.  Commanding  generals  will  require  all  persons  connected  with 
the  army  to  make  immediate  report  of  all  slaves  arrested  or  coming 
into,  their  possession;  and  if  claim  is  not  promptly  made  and  es- 
tablished by  the  owner,  will  send  such  slaves,  with  a  register  of  the 
place  and  date  of  their  arrest,  with  as  little  delay  as  practicable,  to  the 
nearest  depot  in  the  'State  wherein  the  capture  is  made.  They  will 
also  require  all  officers  and  soldiers,  now  employing  slaves,  forthwith 
to  report  the  same,  and  those  hereafter  employing  them,  within  ten 
days  thereafter,  with  the  names  and  residence  of  their  owners,  and  of 


the  person  by  whom  they  were  hired  out,  and  of  the  officer  or  soldier 
hiring,  and  return  such  reports  as  soon  as  received,  to  this  office ; 
and  will,  in  all  other  respects,  enforce  from  the  officers  and  men  under 
their  command  a  strict  and  prompt  observance  of  the  requirements  of 
the  above  recited  act  of  Congress. 
]}y  order. 

S.  COOPER, 
Adjutant  arid  Inspector  General. 


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